Daddy longlegs look like they have two eyes. That doesn’t count the hidden ones
Two sets of vestigial eyes shed light on the arachnids’ evolutionary history
More than 1 billion people worldwide are now estimated to have obesity
The chronic disease affects roughly one-eighth of the global population
Is ChatGPT making scientists hyper-productive? The highs and lows of using AI
Large language models are transforming scientific writing and publishing. But the productivity boost that these tools bring could come with a downside.
How cancer hijacks the nervous system to grow and spread
A new wave of research is unpicking the relationship between cancer and neurons — and looking for ways to stop the crosstalk.
Parrots can move along thin branches using ‘beakiation’
The sidestep involves shuffling across the underside of a branch using both feet and the beak
Lifestyle Changes to Ease Dementia Symptoms
These approaches can support healthy brain aging and prolong everyday function
Getting under the skin
Amid an insulin crisis, one project aims to engineer microscopic insulin pumps out of a skin bacterium.
This group of bizarre gut microbes is unexpectedly complex
Protists’ food preferences shape their interactions with bacteria and affect host immunity.
‘ChatGPT detector’ catches AI-generated papers with unprecedented accuracy
Tool based on machine learning uses features of writing style to distinguish between human and AI authors.
New tech 3-D prints ouchless COVID-19 vaccine patches
The tabletop printer could make this and other vaccines more accessible across the globe
Inflammation in severe COVID linked to bad fungal microbiome
An overabundant ‘mycobiota’ in the gut might be involved in triggering harmful immune responses.
How to build a successful science writing internship program
Creating an internship program from scratch — or revamping an existing one — is a daunting task for any publication or institution.
Why BMI is flawed — and how to redefine obesity
The main diagnostic test for obesity — the body mass index — accounts for only height and weight, leaving out a slew of factors that influence body fat and health.
Human footprints in New Mexico really may be surprisingly ancient, new dating shows
The tracks suggest humans arrived in North America thousands of years earlier than was thought
Playtime Isn’t Just for Kids — Adults Can Benefit, Too
There’s no reason kids should have all the fun.
How would a mermaid sound underwater?
A mermaid would need marine creature features to hear and produce sounds
The thymus withers away after puberty. But it may be important for adults
Removing the thymus is associated with higher rates of death and cancer, a new study finds
Four key questions on the new wave of anti-obesity drugs
Scientists want to know who will benefit most, what the long-term effects might be and whether the treatments will change views on obesity.